Barack Obama

Chris Carlson/Associated Press

News about Barack Obama, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 30, 2015

Pres Obama suggests to African officials during four-day trip that America is better economic partner than China; president wants to reverse trade decline between United States and Africa, down from $142 billion in 2008 to $73 billion in 2014; decrease is attributed to Africans favoring trade with Chinese, who offer enticements such as low interest loans to credit-risky nations in exchange for natural resource rights. MORE

Jul. 29, 2015

Pres Obama, wrapping up his African trip, calls on long-entrenched leaders to step down, scoring their one-man rule whereby they enrich themselves and hang on to power; states that 'no person is above the law, not even the president'; debate over entrenched rulers in Africa has continued over years, with different outcomes. MORE

Jul. 29, 2015

Final version of Pres Obama's climate change policy is expected to extend earlier timeline for states and electric utilities to comply; if enacted, plan could stand as most significant action ever taken by American president to curb global warming. MORE

Jul. 29, 2015

Editorial welcomes Pres Obama's attempt to encourage officials from Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia and African Union to come up with diplomatic solution for crisis in South Sudan; acknowledges that effort has little chance of bringing end to conflict, but underscores importance of Obama showing United States commitment to young nation. MORE

Jul. 28, 2015

Pres Obama meets in Adis Ababa, Ethiopia, with regional leaders, who agree to help end civil war in South Sudan; deadline is set for peace agreement, after which warring parties will face sanctions; meeting is Obama's most direct personal intervention since violence broke out more than 18 months ago in country that was capstone of his Africa policy in 2011. MORE

Jul. 27, 2015

Pres Obama, during visit to his father's homeland Kenya, delivers tough-love message urging country to clean up corruption, sexism and prejudice; appears to be alternately emotional or businesslike during trip, which has drawn intense attention from Kenyans across spectrum. MORE

Jul. 27, 2015

Pres Obama's trip to Ethiopia highlights complex relationship between that country and United States, which values its military partnership with Ethiopia but has been critical of human rights abuses there; officials say Obama is expected to focus more on trade, terrorism and defense than on rights violations. MORE

Jul. 27, 2015

Pres Obama's criticisms of Kenyan corruption, delivered in televised speech there, find widespread acceptance among citizens, with many acknowledging country faces challenges. MORE

Jul. 26, 2015

Obama administration announces series of regulations aimed at curbing endangered wildlife poaching in Africa; announcement comes as Obama opens visit to Kenya, which relies on survival of endangered species to support its tourism industry; United States is world's second largest consumer of poached ivory. MORE

Jul. 26, 2015

Pres Obama's visit to Kenya is received in celebratory manner befitting family reunion, though divisions of opinion on human and gay rights provoke some minor conflicts. MORE

Jul. 25, 2015

Pres Obama arrives in Kenya, country where his father was born, for start of four-day tour through East Africa; trip, which will include visit to Ethiopia, holds deep personal significance for Obama, who will also address geopolitical issues of democracy, human rights and continued fight against terrorism. MORE

Jul. 24, 2015

Editorial underscores personal, diplomatic and symbolic importance of Pres Obama's visit to Kenya; casts visit as distinctly American journey, return of world's most powerful leader to the most humble of roots. MORE

Jul. 23, 2015

Statistics provided by American military show that casualty rate in 2015 among Afghan security forces in fight against Taliban is up more than 50 percent compared to similar period in 2014, with 4,100 Afghan soldiers and police officers killed; interviews with Afghan military officials reveal that fight has become precarious stalemate, which has put pressure on Pres Ashraf Ghani's government and could affect whether Pres Obama follows through on complete withdrawal of troops. MORE

Jul. 23, 2015

Pres Obama leaves for trip to Kenya, raising speculation as to how much inner turmoil president may experience while visiting his father's birthplace; his father's nationality had ignited controversy during his first presidential campaign on whether Obama was American citizen and eligible to run for office; itinerary includes visit with Kenyan and Ethiopian presidents. MORE

Jul. 22, 2015

Some politicians in Kenya worry that Pres Obama will use upcoming visit to promote gay rights, move that was unsuccessful during his last visit. MORE

Jul. 22, 2015

Pres Obama orders American flags at public buildings and at White House be lowered to half-staff in memory of five military service members who were killed by Mohammod Abdulazeez in Chattanooga, Tenn; Republican lawmakers had criticized Obama for not lowering flags earlier. MORE

Jul. 22, 2015

Pres Obama, appearing on Daily Show with Jon Stewart, discusses topics including nuclear deal with Iran, lapses at Veterans Affairs Dept and importance of public service. MORE

Jul. 21, 2015

Pres Obama hosts Nigerian Pres Muhammadu Buhari at White House in lieu of visiting Nigeria himself on upcoming trip to Africa; congratulates Buhari on his democratic election and praises his continued fight against corruption and extremist group Boko Haram. MORE

Jul. 17, 2015

Pres Obama visits El Reno, Okla, prison becoming first sitting president to visit a federal correctional facility, in his quest to gain support for bipartisan overhaul of nation's criminal justice system; meeting with some nonviolent drug offenders in the medium-security facility, he reiterates his belief that United States has meted out overly harsh mandatory minimum sentences to many nonviolent offenders. MORE

Jul. 17, 2015

Editorial commends Pres Obama for his efforts to highlight failings of criminal justice system, particularly the high rates of incarceration among men of color, long mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent crimes and deplorable prison conditions; calls on Congress to fix system, pointing approvingly to SAFE Justice Act, which has bipartisan support. MORE

Jul. 16, 2015

Nuclear accord reached between Iran and the United States was result of rare alignment of personalities and events that allowed for both sides to secure most of what they needed out of deal; key figures include Qaboos bin Said of Oman, who helped initiate talks, as well as Secretary of State John Kerry, Energy Secretary Ernest J Moniz, Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, and finally Pres Hassan Rouhani and Pres Obama, both of whom were eager for some kind of deal. MORE

Jul. 16, 2015

Pres Obama kicks off campaign to win domestic support for Iran nuclear deal with extensive question and answer session during formal news conference; suggests that many of deal's critics have not even read details of agreement; Obama has 60 days to win over skeptics ahead of Congressional vote. MORE

Jul. 16, 2015

News Analysis; debate over Pres Obama's nuclear accord with Iran clarifies deep political divide between those who agree with his faith in diplomacy and those who see deal as unacceptable appeasement of untrustworthy foe; fate of deal, along with other diplomatic initiatives by Obama, will determine if negotiation can again emerge as effective tool in an historical era grown weary of war. MORE

Jul. 16, 2015

Pres Obama offers increased military aid to Israel as consolation prize following nuclear agreement with Iran that left Pres Netanyahu outraged; overtures are dismissed by Netanyahu, at least for time being, who says accepting them would be tantamount to blessing deal that he sees as deeply threatening to Israeli security. MORE

Jul. 16, 2015

Pres Obama bluntly states that actions of which Bill Cosby is accused, drugging women for sex, constitute rape and should in no way be tolerated by American people. MORE

Jul. 15, 2015

News Analysis; nuclear accord with Iran represents leap of faith for Pres Obama, who is making gamble that by defusing country's nuclear threat, even if only for a decade or so, United States will have time to reshape adversarial relations; ultimate judgement is deemed to be mixed. MORE

Jul. 15, 2015

Iran and group of six countries including United States achieve historic deal to significantly limit Iran's nuclear capabilities for more than decade in return for lifting international oil and financial sanctions; Pres Obama vows accord is based on verification, not trust. MORE

Jul. 15, 2015

Republican leaders vow to kill Pres Obama's nuclear agreement with Iran; Congress has 60 days to review deal, which it can approve, reject or take no action; Obama is sure to veto resolution of disapproval, and his opponents could then only scuttle accord by rallying two-thirds vote of Congress to override his action. MORE

Jul. 15, 2015

Pres Obama delivers passionate address to convention of NAACP in which he calls for bipartisan effort to reform criminal justice system that has incarcerated far too many Americans, particularly young black and Hispanic men; speech comes day after he commuted sentences of 46 nonviolent prisoners; Obama is scheduled to visit federal prison, which will make him first sitting president to do so. MORE

Jul. 14, 2015

Pres Obama commutes sentences of 46 drug offenders, bringing total number of commutations for nonviolent offenders during his time in office to 89; moves comes before Obama's planned speech to NAACP in Philadelphia, where he plans to outline proposals for revamping juvenile and criminal justice systems, including sentencing guidelines. MORE

Jul. 14, 2015

Pres Obama tells White House conference on aging that he wants states to pass laws to make retirement saving easier for their residents, similar to law that requires employers to automatically open retirement plans for employees. MORE

Jul. 11, 2015

Government lawyers argue in favor of Pres Obama's sweeping immigration plan in United States Court of Appeals for Fifth Circuit; are less than hopeful as two of three randomly selected judges on panel are same ones who previously ruled against measures in lawsuit brought by Texas and 25 other states. MORE

Jul. 8, 2015

Pres Obama welcomes Vietnamese Communist Party head Nguyen Phu Trong to White House, saying countries are ready to move beyond their troubled history and work together on security and trade; visit comes on 20th anniversary of normalized relationships between former war enemies and on 40th anniversary of fall of Saigon. MORE

Jul. 8, 2015

Op-Ed article by Sen Marco Rubio contends Pres Obama is mistaken in his belief that opening diplomatic ties with Cuba will bring about freedom and democracy there; calls engagement with reprehensible leaders of Communist regimes Faustian bargain contrary to America's goals and values; asserts United States should instead demand reforms from Cuba before deepening ties and stand against its corrupt leaders and with its people. MORE

Jul. 4, 2015

Pres Obama is set to use his powers of clemency to free dozens of inmates imprisoned for nonviolent drug offenses, part of effort to ameliorate sentencing excesses of past and their effect on young black and Hispanic men; effort, which has broad bipartisan support, faces challenges in bureaucracy, political risks and large number of inmates who have applied for pardons. MORE

Jul. 2, 2015

Obama administration announces end of 40-year-old ban on photography during public tours of White House; move draws widespread praise and is likely to spread of positive images of first family and increased transparency around their lives. MORE

Jul. 1, 2015

Pres Obama warns Iranian negotiators that United States will withdraw from any nuclear agreement that does not establish strict inspection protocols; ultimatum comes as high-level Iranian officials travel to Vienna for final week of negotiations. MORE

Jul. 1, 2015

Pres Obama continues to push European leaders into negotiating successful deal to keep Greece in eurozone, part of ongoing push by his administration to force leaders to relax austerity demands in interest of solution; comments come even as administration braces for economic aftershocks of potential exit. MORE

Jun. 30, 2015

Pres Obama announces change to rule governing overtime wages, raising threshold below which workers qualify from $23,660 to $50,440; rule will likely go into effect in 2016; while power to change rule falls under administration's powers, shift is expected to face challenges by conservative lawmakers and business groups. MORE

Jun. 29, 2015

Editorial calls on Pres Obama, to move forward with reported plans to issue executive order requiring federal contractors to disclose donations to political candidates; argues that move would help stem torrent of 'dark' money to campaign accounts in 2016 election; also calls on him to block any anti-disclosure legislation from House Republicans as they attempt to roll back the few positive elements of Citizens United decision. MORE

Jun. 27, 2015

Pres Obama gives impassioned eulogy for Rev Clementa C Pinckney, relating shooting at Charleston, SC, church to broader national history of violence against African-Americans and ending with soulful rendition of Amazing Grace; calls for Confederate flag to be removed from State House grounds in capital Columbia and for stricter gun laws. MORE

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August 3, 2015, Monday

President Obama will unveil on Monday a set of environmental regulations devised to sharply cut planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from the nation’s power plants and ultimately transform America’s electricity industry.